Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!VENUS.YCC.YALE.EDU!WHITCOMB%KOBOT
From: WHITCOMB%KOBOT@VENUS.YCC.YALE.EDU ("whitcomb%kobot.decnet@venus.ycc.yale.edu")
Newsgroups: comp.sys.transputer
Subject: RE: Dynamically creating arrays of processes.
Message-ID: <8903271929.AA13704@tcgould.TN.CORNELL.EDU>
Date: 27 Mar 89 19:34:00 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
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>From:	KOBOT::WHITCOMB     "whitcomb%kobot.decnet@venus.ycc.yale.edu" 25-MAR-1989 15:49
To:	VENUS::IN%"buengc!dpm@bu-cs.bu.EDU",WHITCOMB    
Subj:	RE: Dynamically creating arrays of processes

Greetings:

  Recall that there is nothing in the occam language definition which 
denies the possibility of dynamic space allocation or recursion.  Likewise 
with the transputer cpu.  The inmos implementation of this language has 
these restrictions; thus it is in *implementation* limitation rather than a 
language limitation.  This is a win for safety (correctness) and speed,
at the cost of functionality.

  Dynamic space allocation may be achieved within the occam model by 
explicitly creating and managing a heap for use by parallel
processes within the scope of its definition.  The use of such a heap will,
unfortunately, often violate the occam access restrictions on arrays and
thus you will have to switch off some of the compiler checks.  

  Dynamic code loading, however, is not part of the occam definition.  It
may be achieved in the inmos implementation of occam by using a predefined 
library procedure "KERNEL.RUN".  This is defined in section 11.3 of the 
Transputer Development System manual (1988, Prentice Hall, ISBN 0-13-928995-X.)

  I hope this helps. The Best,

                     Louis L. Whitcomb